Battle Among Thieves
by Balto Kodiak
Summary: The Cooper Gang meets the Kodiak Gang: Balto Kodiak, Codie Alaska, and Kirby Juno.  Tension rises between both gangs, and Sly and Balto develop feelings for each other, but can those feelings survive the Battle Among Thieves?  Rated T for some language.
1. The New Thieves in Town

**Battle Among Thieves**

**Chapter One: New Thief in Town**

Sly Cooper, Bentley, and Murray were on a job in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. They were planning to steal a priceless diamond from a museum. "Got anything, Bentley?" Sly asked. "Not yet. Something's blocking the radar signal." Bentley replied. "Well, let's just hope it clears up soon. We could get caught if we take too much time waiting for it to clear up." Sly said, his voice thick with determination and concern. "If it's a barrier or something, I can smash it!" Murray said, holding his fist in the air. Sly and Bentley laughed at their friend. Murray was always one to make jokes when things got heavy. "Alright, where's my entrance, Bentley?" Sly asked, as he spire jumped onto a lamp post. "Through an air vent in the roof, but be careful! You have to be really quiet so you don't alert the secu-" Bentley was cut off by the sound of breaking glass coming from the museum.

The Cooper Gang watched in awe as three figures on hover boards flew out of the top story of the museum. Just then, Bentley's radar signal picked up. "Sly! It's over there! The diamond's over there!" Bentley yelled, pointing to the figures on hover boards. "Get in the van! We gotta catch up!" Sly cried as Murray took the wheel and stomped on the gas. They could hear cop sirens in the distance, but they weren't following them this time. Instead, they were following the gang they were after. The Cooper gang was hot on their tail, when cop cars shot out in front of the team van. The one who appeared to be the leader of the gang turned around and sped up, followed by the other two.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sly asked, almost having to yell over the cop sirens. Bentley and Murray didn't answer. When they were close enough to the mysterious gang, Sly leaned out the window and knocked the guy on the right straight off his hover board with his cane. Much to his disappointment, he grabbed onto the board of the person in front of him. Sly was cursing himself for not thinking of that. Then he saw the stray board, and saw a mark in the shape of a wolf paw on it. Bentley noticed the mark right away and was typing on his computer, searching for information. Sly dismissed the mark and immediately got on the board.

It wasn't hard for Sly to figure out how the board worked. Within seconds, he was right next to the gang leader. It was a girl that looked both like a wolf and a dog. She was wearing a blue hat very similar to his, a leather jacket, jeans, a white T-Shirt, and a thief mask also similar to Sly's. The girl noticed Sly coming up on her right and tried to knock him off the board. Meanwhile, Bentley had found out what he wanted to know and almost couldn't believe his eyes. He cleaned his glasses twice before realizing he was reading right. During his pursuit, Sly was reaching for the satchel that held the diamond he was looking for. In the process, he lost his balance and fell off the board. "Damn!" Sly said to himself. "Sly!" Bentley yelled motioning for him to jump into the back of the van. Sly quickly jumped in and was surprised by Bentley's nervous look.

"What's up, pal? Why do you look nervous?" Sly asked. "Did you get the satchel?" Bentley asked, changing the subject. "No." Sly replied hanging his head in shame. "That other gang still has it." "Then steal it back!" Murray said. "Not that simple, Murray. They appear to have advanced technology. Those boards are an obvious example of that." Bentley said, still typing away at his computer. "Who the hell were those guys anyway?" Sly asked, hoping Bentley would have an answer. "You really want to know?" Bentley asked. "Of course." Sly replied. Bentley took a deep breath before breaking the news. "That was the Kodiak gang. Led by the notorious wolf-dog hybrid, Balto Kodiak. Also consisting of two Siberian huskies, Codie Alaska, and Kirby Juno." Bentley said. "Balto Kodiak?" Sly said, remembering the girl he had fought with over the satchel. "They're another gang of master thieves, just like us. They have pulled off jobs in places like Europe, America, and more recently, Canada." Bentley said.

Sly and Murray couldn't believe their ears. They had competition now, and had to stay at the top of their game. "Where's their hideout?" Murray asked, hoping he could get them there in time to retrieve the diamond. Bentley hesitated, looking up more information. "No one really knows, but my best guess would have to be, Vancouver." Bentley replied, his eyes not leaving the computer screen. "Vancouver? That's on the other side of the country!" Sly yelled, infuriated. "Calm down, Sly. If we head there now, we can get there in say…" Bentley said, punching some numbers, "Three to four days." "THIRTY FOUR DAYS?" Sly yelled, enraged. "No, three TO four days." Bentley replied, as Sly breathed out a sigh of relief.

**A/N: So, what do you think? In case it's not obvious, Balto is a girl and Codie and Kirby are both guys. Please review. :)**


	2. Unexpected Rendezvous

**Battle Among Thieves**

**Chapter Two: Unexpected Rendezvous**

Balto, Codie, and Kirby made it back to their hideout in Vancouver, happy with their accomplishment. However, they were concerned about the Cooper gang. "I'm still mad at that guy for knocking me off my board!" Kirby said, anger slowly filling his brown eyes. "I could've been run over or something!" "That is so, but apparently you just had to grab onto MY board, almost making me lose my balance, you psychotic son of a bitch!" Codie said, angry at Kirby. "It wasn't my fault! It was just instinct!" Kirby replied. "Well, then, you don't have very good instincts, now do you?" Codie replied followed by a smirk. Codie and Kirby continued arguing, driving Balto insane. "GUYS!" She yelled. "What?" "Stop it!" "'Kay." The trio had more important things to worry about, and they knew it. Balto was thinking about her encounter with Sly. _"Damn good lookin' raccoon, that's for sure."_ She thought, fighting back the urge to smile. "Balto? Balto!" Codie said, trying to get her attention. "Oh, sorry." Balto said. "What's our next move?" "We need to find out all we can about that Cooper gang. They're gonna be trouble for us if we let them off the hook." Codie replied heading over to the computer. "Well, I'm gonna head upstairs. This wolfdog needs some sleep." Balto said, yawning. Codie eventually fell asleep a couple hours later on the computer keyboard, with new information in his head and a plan already set up.

Meanwhile, the Cooper gang was heading to Vancouver. Sly and Bentley fell asleep quickly, and Murray was doing all he could to stay awake. Sly couldn't stop thinking about the girl he ran into two nights ago. _"She's kinda pretty, if you think about it. Her green eyes, her brown fur, her brownish-blonde hair – No! No, you can't get the hots for her. She's the leader of an opposing gang."_ However, Sly couldn't help but smile when he thought of her. He still had the hots for Carmelita, but he knew for a fact nothing could happen there. A thief and a thief just made more sense. Bentley was sleeping soundly in his wheelchair in the back when they hit a bump on the road. Startled, he woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. He started wondering about the Kodiak Gang's technology. How and why they made the hover boards, and if he could somehow acquire that technology and utilize it for suited jobs,_ "If they can do it, so can we."_ Bentley thought, turning to the computer they had in the back of the van. Being the brainiac that he is, he couldn't stay away from it, and started looking up information about this "Balto Kodiak."

Codie woke up that morning and, realizing he fell asleep on the computer keyboard, immediately sat up and remembered his plan. He immediately woke up Balto and Kirby, who were extremely mad at him for waking them up so suddenly. Balto, too tired to start making something, just put bread in the toaster and microwaved some bacon. Kirby was less tired and made him and Codie some eggs. When they were all finished making breakfast, Codie told them he had a plan. "Already? We only just got back!" Balto said, chewing on toast. "Watcha got for us, Codie?" Kirby asked, seeming to forget their previous argument. "We gotta figure out what that Cooper Gang is up to. It can have a bad effect on the upcoming operation." Codie explained. "We need a new satellite set up on the roof, and I need Kirby to help me. I've received word that they're on their way here to confront us, so I'm gonna need you to do some reconnaissance for me, Balto. It'll take them quite a bit of time to figure out exactly where we are in this city, which is time we can use to our advantage." Balto and Kirby gave Codie their undivided attention as he continued explaining.

The Cooper Gang had finally arrived in Vancouver and set up a safehouse near the beach. It was around midnight, so not many people were out and about. "Alright, here's the overall plan." Bentley said, beginning one of his slideshows. "We're all aware of what has happened several days ago. A famous "blood diamond" has been stolen from the museum in Kingston. We had intended to steal it first, but ended up losing it to the Kodiak Gang. As we are aware, they have advanced technology, demonstrated by the "hover boards" they were riding that night." Bentley dragged on and on about what happened and about the supposed history of the Kodiak Gang. After a few minutes, things got interesting again. "I have recently found out that their main base of operations, or hideout if you will, is located right here in Vancouver. Our top priority, for the time being, is to locate them and retrieve the diamond. Sly-" Sly's ears perked up hearing his name. "You'll be doing some recon for us. We need some information. You will also have to bug their hideout so we will have an ear on the inside. Murray will stay here with me as we figure out the technology used to create those hover boards of theirs." Bentley finally finished. "Finally. I get the easy gig." Sly said, a grin spreading across his face.

Little did they know that Balto had bugged their safehouse and heard everything. She was on the roof listening through a small radio she kept on hand. Balto jumped off the roof and got on her board to go tell Codie and Kirby what she heard. She had just got on her board when Sly walked out of the safehouse and saw her leaving on her board. He did as he was told by Bentley and followed Balto. Along the way, he was taking some recon photos of the board and Balto. He followed her to her hideout and wrote down the address as well as took a picture. Balto had seen him quite a while ago, but she didn't mind. _"Amazing. They've been doing this for who knows how long and Sly can't tail me without being noticed."_ Balto thought as she stepped through the door. "Did you bug their place, Balto? Did you get any information?" Codie asked her. A grin spread across Balto's face as she told him everything she heard. "Wait, so they're after the hover board technology? How typical." Codie said calming down. Just as Codie turned around and started toward the garage, Balto stopped him. "One more thing, Codie. Sly was tailing me the whole way back. He knows where we are, now and he's gonna tell that turtle friend of his." Balto said. "That could ruin all our plans! Bentley is going to have Sly bug our hideout and he'll hear everything!" Codie said frustrated. "Right. This could get heavy, Codie." Balto replied.

**A/N: I couldn't resist the Back to the Future quote at the end. So, what do you think? Think Sly and my OC, Balto, would make a good pair? Reviews are always appreciated. ;) I still don't own Sly Cooper!**


	3. Strange Feelings

**Battle Among Thieves**

**Chapter Three: Strange Feelings**

That night, when Balto went to sleep, Codie was making improvements to the hover boards, and Kirby was helping him. They decided to cut Balto a break and let her sleep. Balto was having a pretty restless sleep, though. It was now a battle among thieves. Cooper vs. Kodiak. Balto could feel the tension building up between her gang and theirs. Balto tried to forget about it, but the thought wouldn't leave. It was almost inevitable.

"Wrench, Kirby." Codie requested, lying down on a skateboard underneath his board. Kirby handed him the wrench as Codie slid back beneath the board.

"Ya know, Codie, I think that there may be somethin' going on with Sly and Balto." Kirby said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" Codie asked, still beneath the board.

"Well, I dunno. It's just that Balto's eyes seem to light up whenever she sees him, it's just weird." Kirby replied.

"Doesn't Sly have the hots for that cop? Carmelita, isn't it?" Codie asked again, sliding out from under the board.

"Well, yeah, but you never know, ya know?" Kirby said, hanging his head.

_Balto was riding on her board, her pals behind her, attempting to elude the cops. Just a typical night for the Kodiak Gang, when the Cooper Gang showed up in their van. Murray at the wheel, the Cooper gang was tailing them and was catching up quickly. Balto led her gang to the beach, where ultimate chaos broke out. Kirby got in a fistfight with Murray, and Codie and Bentley were attacking each other brutally. "What the hell is going on here?" Balto asked. The cops were shooting at them and running at them with handcuffs in their hands. Balto was terrified. Sly was up on the roof and beckoned for her to follow. Balto was up on the roof in no time when another gunshot rang out. Sly was shot in the chest, and his blue shirt was turning a dark shade of purple from his blood. "NOOO!" Balto yelled, as she ran to his side. It was no use, for Sly Cooper was already dead. Then Balto remembered her gang and went to fight with them. Another cop aimed the gun at Balto and pulled the trigger._

"Aaaaaah!" Balto yelled, immediately sitting up on the couch drenched in sweat. She had a nightmare of epic proportions and her yelling alarmed Codie and Kirby, who immediately ran to her side.

"What's wrong, Balto?" Codie asked, his voice and eyes both were full of concern for the panicking wolfdog. His face was covered in dirt and grease, but he didn't care. All that mattered right now was Balto.

"Hm? Oh, uh, nothing. Everything's fine." Balto replied with a convincing smile. Her eyes, however, told them different.

"That's horse shit, Balto! We've known you since childhood. We can tell when you're lying. Now tell us what's wrong." Kirby asked, kneeling down beside the couch where Balto lay.

"I had a nightmare. It was a battle among thieves. Us against the Cooper gang. The cops were after us, but so was the Cooper gang. We wound up attacking them and they attacked us brutally. It was practically a goddamn war! The cops caught up with us and began shooting and running toward us with handcuffs in their hands." Balto explained, her eyes were shining with fear. Codie and Kirby were just as frightened, now. Balto's dreams/nightmares almost always had something to do with the future.

Sly Cooper had been ordered by Bentley to bug Balto's hideout that night and had noticed Balto sleeping on the couch. He noticed she was sleeping restlessly and appeared to be having a nightmare. Sly was concerned slightly, but remembered the task at hand. He was placing little microphones in almost every room. He was alarmed by Balto yelling and sitting up in the couch, in a cold sweat. Her friends rushed to her side, concerned for her, and Sly wanted so bad to be there for her but he knew he couldn't. He had to remain in hiding. After Balto explained her nightmare to her friends, Sly was afraid it might actually happen. He had a feeling there was something she wasn't telling them, though. After a while, her friends went to sleep in their rooms and Sly decided to ask Balto about it.

"Balto! Hey Balto, it's me! Sly!" He said slowly emerging from his hiding place.

"Sly? What the hell are you doing here?" Balto already knew, but she asked anyway.

"Bentley told me to bug your hideout, but that's not important! Are you alright?" He asked her, his amber eyes glowing with fear and concern.

"What are you talking about, I'm fine." She told him, wondering if he had heard about her dream.

"I heard about your nightmare, and I was wondering if you thought it might actually happen." He said as he knelt down next to her. His arm muscles were aching, from wanting to touch her so badly, but he knew he couldn't.

"I dunno. My dreams tend to sometimes tell the future, but sometimes they don't." Balto replied, still sweating a bit, strands of hair were hanging down in her face. "At least I know the worst case scenario," she said, slightly laughing.

Sly couldn't help but chuckle at her attempted humor. Sly knew he was falling for her, but he didn't dare acknowledge it until now. He unconsciously brushed a strand of hair from her face. Balto smiled at the gesture and put her hand up to his face, loving the way his soft gray fur felt against her hand. She had taken her gloves off earlier, because she prefers not to sleep with them on. _What the hell are you doing, Kodiak? He's a raccoon! A wolf-dog and a raccoon just doesn't make sense! But a thief and a thief does, and we're both thieves. It doesn't matter! What if Codie and Kirby found out, huh? I can think of a million excuses. They can tell when you're lying. Not all the time._

It took a while for the voices in Balto's head to calm down, but they eventually did. Balto found herself looking into Sly's eyes, and Sly matched her gaze. Balto suddenly began feeling a strange force pulling her towards him. This force made itself known to Sly as well, as he put his hand up to her face and began found himself lost in her hazel green eyes. Her eyes had the same natural colors of the forest, which was something he had never seen before. Balto slowly began leaning towards him, hesitating for a moment to look for signs of resistance. There was none. She slowly began inching toward him again and her muzzle was only a breath away from his, when they heard Codie's bedroom door open.


	4. Suspicion

**Battle Among Thieves**

**Chapter 4: Suspicion**

**A/N: For full enjoyment of this chapter, listen to "**_**Love Train**_**" from the **_**Alpha and Omega**___**soundtrack.**

"Oh no. You better go." Balto said, looking at Sly with a concerned look in her eyes.

"But, Balto, he doesn't have to know." Sly replied, suddenly a bit worried. However, Balto was giving him a look that said, _"If you don't get the hell outta here now, we're both gonna be in deep shit."_

"Please. Go. Now!" Balto said, gently pushing him toward the door. Sly reluctantly conformed to her demand and exited the hideout. Luckily, Sly shut the door just as Codie got down the stairs.

"What the hell is going on here, Balto?" Codie asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Who were you talking to?"

"No one, Codie, I was just uh…" Balto ransacked her mind for an excuse. "Codie can I ask you a theoretical question?" Codie was skeptical, but nodded his head, hunching over

"Alright. Fire away, half-breed." Codie replied, sitting next to her on the couch, and putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"Well, there are two packs of wolves that are fighting against each other. The alpha's of both packs meet and fall for each other. Remember, both packs are practically at war and neither packs like each other. So, if you were a member of one of those packs, how would you react to the two alphas 'showing interest?'?" Balto asked. Codie noticed that Balto wasn't making eye contact with him the whole time she asked the supposed "theoretical" question. Codie analyzed the signals she was giving him. After a few moments of deep thought, it suddenly dawned on him.

"I don't believe it. You're interested in Sly!" Codie replied, followed by hysterical laughter. Kirby heard Codie laughing and was wondering what all the racket was. So Kirby, slightly annoyed at him, trudged downstairs to see what was up.

"What the hell is going on? What's so funny Codie?" Kirby asked, a little impatient.

"Y-You won't believe this! B-Balto i-i-is interested in-in SLY COOPER!" Codie replied, still laughing and gripping his side. It wasn't long before Kirby began laughing his ass off as well. Balto just looked at the pair of huskies rolling around laughing their asses off at the assumption. She stood up, put on a plaid over shirt, and went for a walk on the beach. The boys noticed Balto leave and were wondering what happened.

"Was it something I said?" Codie asked after he finally stopped laughing. Kirby just shrugged and went back upstairs to bed. Codie decided to go to his room and process the assumption that Balto was "showing interest" in Sly Cooper. _"It's just not reasonable. The scientific probability of a wolf-dog and a raccoon 'showing interest', as she puts it, just isn't logical. But love is not logical! Well, there is logic incorporated into the feeling and one must use logic to process every feeling and event that occurs. Okay, that didn't make sense, Codie! Where is my head? Why am I pondering this, when I could be making those system upgrades I've been wanting to do for a while? Codie Bryan Alaska, don't change the subject! This is serious! If the Cooper Gang finds out, they'll assume we're using trickery and will do bad things to us."_

Balto was out walking on the beach, wondering if it was true. If she really did like – possibly even love – Sly Cooper. She just sat down on the edge of the dock and stared out into the ocean. The full moon lit up the water beautifully and Balto remembered the days when she, Codie, and Kirby were kids and would howl at the moon on a night like this. Before Balto could think, she lifted her head and began to howl her majestic, wolf-like howl. _"Whoo-ooh-whoooooo-ooh-whoo-whoooo-oooh-whoo!"_ It was more like singing than it was howling, but Balto didn't care. All that existed now as her, the moon, the ocean, and her howls. _"Whoa-ohhh. Whoa-oh-whoa!"_ She howled again. She smiled at the memory of her and her pals coming out here and howling when they were kids. Balto was the scrawny little runt of her litter. She laughed quietly remembering her brother, Kavu, telling her that the runt never turned out good. Look at her now! She's tall, strong, well-built, and a master at stealth and a master thief. "If only that egotistical bastard could see me now." She said to herself. Her brother moved to Florida about a year ago, and he was always cursing himself for choosing a warm climate. Balto felt relieved after howling her vocal chords rugged and walked back to the house with a hoarse voice and a confident posture, indicating that she was ready to take on the world now.

"It's about time you got back, Sly!" Bentley said, a few seconds after Sly entered the Safehouse. Sly cursed himself for not being quieter while entering.

"Did you bug the place?" Murray asked, stepping into the room they were in.

"Yes. There are bugs in almost all the rooms." Sly said confidently.

"Were you seen? Did anything else happen?" Bentley asked leaning forward in his wheelchair, interested.

"_Well, I almost kissed Balto…"_ Sly thought, feeling his cheeks get hot at the memory of his muzzle being less than an inch from hers before they were rudely interrupted. "No. Nothing else happened." Sly said, a small grin spreading across his face as his face turned light red.

"You're blushing, Sly." Murray told him, folding his arms across his chest, grinning. This made especially Bentley interested in whatever the hell it was he was thinking about. "C'mon, tell us what's up." Murray said, raising an eyebrow as his grin grew wider. Sly knew he couldn't back out, or else Bentley would make a lie detector or something to prove or disprove anything.

"Well, one other thing happened…" Sly said, sitting down as he explained the situation with Balto to his friends. They were shocked and shaken by what they had heard. They couldn't believe that Sly almost kissed Balto! What could he possibly see in that half-breed? They had to admit that she was fairly pretty, despite her manly, tough appearance, but this was the unthinkable! Sly, however, seemed proud of himself. He finally found a girl who was his equal. A thief and a thief made a lot more sense than a thief and a cop. Sly finally decided to let Carmelita go after all these years, seeing how she was clearly not showing any interest. The difference between Balto and Carmelita was that Balto actually gave a shit about him, and all Carmelita wanted to do was arrest him. Balto cared about him and his well-being, and Carmelita kept shooting at him with a shock pistol. If he had to choose between a tense, workaholic policewoman (Carmelita) and a laid back, easygoing thief (Balto), he would take Balto in a heartbeat. It just felt right.


End file.
